Chapter 2 A Not So Brief Explanation

October 10th

Weeks passed since our separation, and life resumed its course. I, a wolf, and he, a human, went our separate ways. I never disclosed my secret to him.

In the depths of my soul, I understood that my destined mate awaited me, an inevitable connection I had no control over. Despite my love for Cameron, the fear of hurting him in the future compelled me to keep my distance. Little did I know, I would soon discover that he was nothing but a scoundrel. As time went on, things improved, and I couldn't have been happier.

And from now on, it's no more pointless relationships. I've decided to wait for my mate, whoever he or she may be and however long I have to wait.

Meanwhile, I'll focus on school and trying not to murder the boy sat behind me in American history class with his own ruler as he repeatedly prodded me in the back with it.

"Hey rogue," I heard him say.

It was Logan Wilson. He was a sixteen-year-old wolf boy who was heir to the Alphaship in the Cerridwen pack, and the guy who made my life a living hell. It's territory covered the whole of Kellington but after my family had been forced to relocate from our previous pack we'd been permitted by the Alpha, Logan's father to settle there peacefully living as rogues alongside the humans of the town.

But whilst his father took pity on us, Logan certainly did that.

In fact, he had taken it upon himself to make my life a living hell.

"What?!" I hissed.

"You free tonight, little miss Feisty?" He asked with a smirk.

"No, fuck off," I answered bluntly as I turned back around, trying to focus on what our history teaher was telling us about Rosa Parks.

"Are you sure babe? I was thinking maybe you could come round now that you're single and everything," he said, leaning over and whispering in my ear, "How is Cameron by the way?"

I ignored him. He was trying to provoke me and I wasn't going to give him the satisfcation of a response. He had delusions of me being his mate, but it was obviously impossible, my wolf didn't respond to him halfway. He rushes to shame and fury at this, and often picks on me.

"Hey rogue, don't ignore me. Answer my question," He demanded,

"Excuse me Mr Wilson, Miss Jones, I do hope I'm not interrupting anything?" The teacher, Mr Greggory asked.

"Yes you were actually," Logan said.

My mouth gaped open. And so did Mr Greggory's.

"Well, in that case, maybe you can finish whatever ever it was in detention. You too Miss Jones." He said writing our names on the whiteboard under the detention box.

"But-" I started.

"No buts Miss Jones," He said.

"I didn't do anything!" I protested.

"Unless you want a week of detention, you will be back here at four o clock sharp," he said.

I sighed with exasperation and injustice.

"Yes, Sir," I murmured before shooting a glare at Logan who still wore the same cocky smirk.

The bell rang and my mind had a little moment to rejoice before I quickly got up and grabbed my books and bag.

"Everybody, before you go, I would like to hand you all this homework sheet which explains the essay which I would like to be handed to me during our lesson on Monday," Mr Greggory said just before I escaped.

A groan rumbled through the room. After taking my homework sheet, I started to make my way to the door when something blocked my way. Logan.

"I'm sorry, Ella. How about I make it up to you and give you a lift home after detention?" he said looking down at me like I was some tiny scrap of broccoli he just picked out his back tooth.

"Logan, leave me the fuck alone," I said trying to push past.

"You are aware that I'm the Alpha's son right?" He said still towering over me,

"Whatever, he's not even my Alpha," I said trying to get past again (obviously failing).

"But you're on our land aren't you? So you abide by my rules otherwise I will make getting you and your brother kicked off my territory the first thing I do when I become Alpha. And my 17th birthday is in a few days so you should probably start respecting me ASAP. Understand?"

"Fine," I said spitefully. "You can give me a lift home if you really want."

Logan didn't scare me. He was just an immature kid dressed as an Alpha. But the concept of being kicked off this territory wasn't exactly comforting. I was happy living here in the human world.

"See you tonight," He whispered in my ear before winking and finally letting me past and to my friends were already waiting for me by the lockers.

"What took you so long?" My friend, Charlotte, asked.

"One word- logan," I said and they immediately understood.

"Being a jerk as usual?" Charlotte asked and I nodded.

"I can't believe you got detention because of him," Abi, our other friend said.

"I know and I still have to do that fucking assignment." I groaned

"Yeh great, another two hours of school to do tonight, just in case seven hours during the day isn't enough," whined Abi looking down at the essay sheet whilst madly trying to get her crazy dark blond waves out of her face, in particular, the strand that had somehow got into her mouth.

"Just do it on a computer and make the font really big so you don't even have to write that much," Charlotte replied with her usual optimistic tone.

Abi laughed, "Knowing Mr Greggory, if you don't stick to the 12 pt font size rule he'd make you do it three times over."

"Nothing but facts," I said with a sigh.

Abi and Charlotte were my only two proper friends. When I first moved to Kellington at age eleven, they'd been the first to take pity on my as I sat eating lunch at school on my own for weeks, not quite sure how you're supposed to socialise in the human world. I'd been moved around constantly as a kid and never once been to a school. My parents taught me the basics of reading, writing and speaking but we were basically rogues just jumping between packs and living in the wild for the first decade of my life. So despite probably being kinda weird and wolfy to start off, they stuck with me and we'd been best friends ever since.

In the first year of high school, I entrusted them with my secret. They'd taken it surprisingly well. They said they always knew there was something odd about me and my family. But they still treated me as normal and refused to ditch me.

Now, in Junior year of high school, we were a solid trio who occasionally brushed along side some of the other social groups of the school

"So...we're invited to Cameron's party tonight," Charlotte said glancing at Abi before looking to me, "Are you coming Ella?" she added hopefully.

"Cameron? As in Cameron wood?" I mumbled in return. "Fuck no..."

"Look that was all in the past Ella," Abi said encouragingly.

I raised my eyebrow, "What a whole two weeks ago?"

"It'll be fun. Loads of people are going and we might not even see him," she said.

"No," I said firmly, "Besides I have loads of homework and since my Mom's been gone its been hard to juggle housework, homework and social life. But you two have fun. I don't mind."

"Can't Connor help with housework? Make dinner or something?" Abi asked.

Charlotte and I looked at each other with half terrified half, hysterical glances.

"That's coming from someone who hasn't seen Connor in a kitchen trying to toast a piece of bread before," I said with laughter.

"Oh please. Just because he's a boy doesn't give him an excuse to learn to cook. This is the 21st century, right?" she argued.

Connor was supposed to be my older brother. But since our Mom left, I've felt like the parent of the house. I gave him chores but I never let him anywhere near the oven for fear of burning the house down - something we definitely couldn't afford to do.

Having grown up with practically no friends except each other, we were pretty close. He was only a year older and we moved in the same social circles so we went to all the same parties and events together.

Although that's not to say we always came back together. He'd taken full advantage of the absence of a real parent at home and usually stayed out until the buttcrack of dawn before stumbling home. This was either because he had a habit of either staying with his friends after the party still drinking far more than he should or, because I banned him from bringing girls into his room, which shared a thin plaster wall with mine, he ended up in someone else's bed.

But he was alright.

No the most responsible, smart or focussed kid in the world but we didn't have it easy and I didn't want to stop him having fun.

Easy.

Easy wasn't a word I would describe any aspect of our lives.

Our father died four years ago.

It was a car accident. We don't know how it happened. His car appeared to have just spontaneously flipped over and he landed dead in a ditch. But he was an alcoholic. The autopsy showed a lot in his system and it was ruled unsuspicious.

We didn't have much to thank him for. He'd argued with every Alpha who'd ever let us into their pack and was the reason we never had a place to call home as a kid. But he was still our Dad and we still missed him dearly.

We missed our Mom too. After the accident, she was never quite the same. She'd lost her mate. It was expected.

But a couple of years ago she decided she couldn't face living in this house any longer. Sleeping in the same bed she'd shared with him, seeing his photos, smelling the lingering scent on his clothes, seeing post come in the mail with his name on the envelope.

It was all too much.

So she left to go and live as a rogue again. She wanted Connor and me to join her but we liked our lives in Kellington. We had friends, an education, a home. So we stayed, got jobs in a little diner on the edge of town and started paying the bills ourselves.

As I said, nothing was 'easy'.

I sat with Abi and Charlotte in the cafeteria, picking at the dry sandwhich I'd spent $2. It was limp and had one singular slice of cheese inside that sweated and moulded in a way cheese definitely shouldn't.

"You know what, you're right," I said chucking the poor excuse of a meal down onto my tray, "I'm coming. I deserve some fun-"

I was cut short as Charlotte squealed in excitement before bringing me into a bone-crushing hug. Abi and laughed as she watched my eyeballs almost pop out my head.

"Okay Charlotte I think we get it, now let the poor girl go," she giggled.

"Let's go and get something better to eat, I'm starving," I said sniffing the air. It smelt like they'd brought out some hot fries and my stomach grumbled just as the smell.

"You're always hungry," Abi laughed.

"It's not my fault I have an inhumanely high metabolism," I said innocently. "Literally."

When the bell rang at 4 O'clock my heart sank.

Detention.

I walked to Mr Greggory's classroom to see Logan already sitting at a desk.

Shit.

I was kind of hoping/expecting that he wouldn't turn up.

"Oh hey, little Miss rogue," He said in his usual arrogant tone.

"It's bad enough that I'm even here, let alone with you and because of you, so do me a favour and don't even fucking breath in my direction," I said sitting down as far away as possible from him. He immediately picked up his rucksack and scooted across a few desks until he was next to me.

I looked at him and scowled, shuffling to the very edge of my chair before Mr Greggory came in.

"I know you two are no strangers to detention so I won't bother you with the rules," He said. "Just get on with some work and make use of this time."

I often landed myself in detention. I always did my homework and didn't go out my way to break the rules but my problem was: if I don't agree with something I'm gonna make it known to the world.

Arguing with teachers about stupid policies, unfair dress codes, irrelevant content, pointless pieces of homework and unfair treatment of students was my speciality and adults don't like it when you point out something wrong. Especially if you do it with curse words and a fairly short temper.

But I meant well. I'm just trying to make the school less of a shit hole.

Logan, however, was just an all-around horrible student. As the Alpha's son, his future had been determined since the word go and has no reason to need to work hard.

"I've got some test papers to collect from the ofice, I'm sure I can trust you for a few minutes," He said leaving us alone.

I don't know what made him think he could trust Logan but okay. I got out my history essay and started to go over what I was going to write in my head.

"Do you wanna play truth or dare?" Logan prodding my in the stomach.

"Um personal space and no," I said trying to concentrate on my homework.

"21 dares?" He asked childishly whilst prodding me again the time on my back

"No," I hissed smacking his hand away stopping it from coming in for prod number 3.

"Come on babe loosen up a bit, just imagine I'm Cameron. Or maybe that wouldn't help actually. considering-" He said.

"Can you just leave me alone before I am forced to punch you?" I interrupted.

"No need to get pissed. I think we both knew that your relationship was never going to work anyway. What were you planning on doing when you find your mate?" He asked rocking his chair back slightly so it was leaning on only two legs.

I stood up to move to another seat. The thought of pushing him was a tantalising one.

Maybe that story that the teachers always tell about the kid they knew that smashed their head open and died from swinging would finally come true...

"On a scale of 16-72 how much would you hate to have to marry me?" Logan asked after following me to where I had moved.

"108."

"Imagine having to live in the same house with me, sleep in the same bed with me, have sex with me, and raise wolf pups with me ......" he said with a wicked smile that made me a little nervous.

"I think I would be forced to commit suicide," I replied looking back at the essay sheet and my blank piece of lined paper.

"Don't you want to see my perfect body?" He asked.

"hmmm let me think," I said pausing for effect, "No."

"Just wait," I thought I heard him mumble, in a low voice.

"What?" I asked

"Oh, nothing."

"Can I finish my homework now?" I asked angrily,

"Alright, I'll leave you alone but at least let me give you this." He said delving into his pockets and pulling out a golden envelope.

"What is it?" I asked looking at the shining paper,

"Oh, just something about you and your brother getting kicked off pack land, ehh no big deal if you don't meet some...conditions," He said sarcastically and, of course, with a typical Logan smirk. I quickly got out of my seat, alarmed by the words kicked and territory in one sentence. I lunged forward to grab the envelope but he held it above his head (about 6'6'' off the ground).

"I thought you were going to give it to me?" I questioned

"You have to come to my house at 8:00 pm then you can have it," He said grinning,

"There is no way I am going anywhere near your house and I'm going out anyway," I said.

"You're going to Cameron's party? Wow, that's the most surprising thing I've heard all year," He said with a genuine look of shock on his face.

"Fine, then I'll meet you there," He said and with that he slung his bag over his shoulder and walked out into the corridor, gold envelope still in his hand. "I'll look forward to seeing you begging for mercy when the time comes."

"Wait and see!" I shouted but he just waved his hand dismissively and carried on.

A few moments later Mr Greggory came back into the room.

"Where has Wilson gone?" He asked looking down the corridor.

"He left, I tried to stop him," I said.

"Well you might go too, Ella," he said with a sigh, "I understand that you are here because of him, but in future, don't let him provoke you. You are a smart kid but boys like him easily lead you astray."

Lead me astray? He wants to fucking evict me!

"Yes, sir," I said.

"Get home. I'm sure you've got friday night plan to be getting on with."